How C-Stores Are Meeting Customers ‘Eat at Home’ Needs
We are in our fifth month since the pandemic began, and lasting market trends are becoming increasingly clear. C-stores of all types and sizes are taking advantage of consumers staying and eating at home. Resourceful retailers have implemented creative ways to capture dollars that would otherwise have been spent going out for dinner in the not so distant past.
A recent survey from Hunter found that Americans are cooking at home much more now, and more than half (51%) expect to continue cooking at home as the pandemic subsides.
Given these expectations, smart food retailers are doubling down to help consumers stay home and eat healthier!
Alltown Fresh has a new concept called Fresh Crates which allows guests to order fresh crates of groceries. They are offering convenience by allowing customers to skip crowded grocery stores and make one easy stop. Orders are placed in advance and include local and organic items such as protein, produce, and pantry items.
Alltown Fresh has also implemented curbside pickup and delivery options for customers much like other c-stores, such as Cumberland Farms and Kum & Go.
Kwik Trip recently launched a chicken program amidst the pandemic. The chain reports its new program has been growing rapidly and is not eating into other product sales such as burgers. This program caters well to families wanting to grab & go in order to eat at home.
H-E-B, a Texas chain with over 340 supermarkets and convenience stores, has concentrated on improving their supply chain and analyzing their assortment to ensure desired products are always in stock. This has been found in several surveys as the most important feature that drives consumers to visit a physical store. That has helped them achieve an 80% customer satisfaction mark in the latest Bond Brand Loyalty “Covid-19 Consumer Tracker” study.
Fresh food retailing is changing rapidly. C-stores, grocers, pharmacies, dollar stores and other unconventional formats are jumping into the trend of helping consumers stay and cook at home. We can expect many more investments in technology and processes that will help expand the market share and profitability of these businesses.
For more information on how ADC can help, visit www.applieddatacorp.com or contact me directly.
